Lets talk about those officials last night

[BatteringRambo]

I'm an addict, yes I am; Rams since 1980, hot women and just the thrill (Joe Rogan, Two Bears One Cave, off road camping fishing stoner dude and epic concerts). How in the fuck do 'they' fuck this up?

 

[den-the-coach]

yeah the refs have issues - but some of the rules they are asking to enforce are just looking for controversy.

I concur here, the Refs suck (for lack of a more eloquent verbiage) they have always, well, sucked. However, the NFL is just not doing themselves any favors giving the Refs carte blanch with interpretation. I would fire them all and then hire full time officials, but then again, the NFL is all about the bottom line and they would rather pay the part time rate.

 

[bubbaramfan]

The "fix" is in and has been for years. FanDuel and DraftKing are owned by NFL owners. They all make money on Vegas point lines.

 

[Riverumbbq]

The "fix" is in and has been for years. FanDuel and DraftKing are owned by NFL owners. They all make money on Vegas point lines.

This should be in front of the U.S. Congress. Oh wait, forgive me, Congress is owned by our many autocrats.

 

[Steve808]

I think there is something to this. Not to excuse the terrible officiating (and it is terrible - was awful in the Steelers-Bears game last night), but the fish does rot from the head down, and Goodell is not a good commissioner. He clearly doesn't understand the amped-up, emotional nature of the game and seems to think players should be able to switch it on and off as easy as a light switch. It doesn't work that way. And moreover, he wants to take all of the fun out of the game. It started with Tagliabue (remember when the Rams GSOT celebration became prohibited?) but has only gotten worse with Goodell.

Of course, the owners could shitcan him tomorrow if they wanted, but there aren't enough of them with courage to take him on.

Goodell is the F*ck who said the Patriots never cheated in the Super bowl against the Rams. He reviewed the tapes he received from Matt Walsh, saw no cheating and destroyed the tapes. He later took away a first round pick from the Patriots and they NFL instituted that no holding of WRs after 5 yards the season after SB 36. Still pisses me off.

 

[Mackeyser]

More possible Television viewership draw conspiracy theory from me.

Tennessee ends up being the onlyAFC team to whoop the Rams. The same team the Rams beat in the Super Bowl 21 years ago.

It sets up an interesting Super Bowl rematch. I could see Fisher front and center hyping the matchup. The Vrabel Belicheat connection and how Bill outschemed Sean in 2018.

It’s possibly one set up to promote the Suberbowl matchup

It sucks that we’re at the point where instead of arguing IF the NFL is fixed, we’re debating which narrative the league will adopt.

It’s shameful

 

[Mackeyser]

I have no problem with officials having jobs during the offseason but their focus should be 100% on football during the season.

TOTALLY disagree. With rule changes and “points of emphasis” every year, the refs need to focus and align so that each game is called as consistently as is possible.

The idea that refs don’t have enough to do year round as we’ve seen doesn’t pass muster (I know you’re not saying that) and it only fuels the conspiracy that the NFL is fixed

 

[Mackeyser]

Lets be clear. It's the not the refs fault. It's the NFLs. They are just doing their jobs as best they can. Sure some are better than others but this has been something that the NFL has wanted.
Look at every year, something new comes out that really slows down the game. First it was celebrating, then an emphasis on holding, then pass interference, then reviewable PI, now the the taunting rule. Every year they come up with these new rules, people hate it or players hate and it gets squashed the following year. Problem is we have a nanny running the NFL and until he's gone it's not gonna change.

I don’t think that hip check by the ref in the Bears game can be blamed on the NFL

 

[kurtfaulk]

Lol at blaming Goodell....he is nothing but a figure head for the owners. Nothing more, nothing less. No owner is "afraid" of standing up to him. He literally exists to take blame from fans and deflect it from the owners while pushing their various agendas...

And gets paid handsomely to do so.

.

 

[bluecoconuts]

The "fix" is in and has been for years. FanDuel and DraftKing are owned by NFL owners. They all make money on Vegas point lines.

 

[CGI_Ram]

Just some thoughts…

I am not of the opinion this has anything to do with full/part time status. The NFL doesn‘t play the same amount of games, these guys will always do something outside of football. Maybe there is something they can do to enhance skills, but just fulltime status doesn’t do that.

I also think we simply over analyze, and we’ve put rules in place to help with the over analyzing. Its too much… there is too much room for individual interpretation with it.

Lastly, I’m not sure I buy the ”fixing” argument… who runs that? How do you coordinate with so many? How do you not have stuff leak out with such a wide net?

 

[Jacobarch]

I don’t think that hip check by the ref in the Bears game can be blamed on the NFL

No shit Sherlock. Not really sure that's even a relevant response to my statement.

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

Just some thoughts…

I am not of the opinion this has anything to do with full/part time status. The NFL doesn‘t play the same amount of games, these guys will always do something outside of football. Maybe there is something they can do to enhance skills, but just fulltime status doesn’t do that.

I also think we simply over analyze, and we’ve put rules in place to help with the over analyzing. Its too much… there is too much room for individual interpretation with it.

Lastly, I’m not sure I buy the ”fixing” argument… who runs that? How do you coordinate with so many? How do you not have stuff leak out with such a wide net?

Refs sign non disclosure agreements. So they won’t talk. Coaches and players limit what they say to not get fined.

The mega TV contracts happened mainly due to the owner of the team to be known cheaters in several instances since the big contracts were first negotiated. I would have no trouble believing that to get the big deals signed that a sort of select competition agreement was struck. So, if the playoffs come around and the Lions make the playoff, how many viewers will it draw? Or if the Steelers don’t make the playoffs how many viewers will they lose?
Which teams are the biggest draws?

Now that is not to say that a team cannot put itself in the spot of being a big draw. Number one picks generate attention. Running QBs do also. Russell Wilson put the Seahawks on the map. The Steelers, Cowboys, Packers and Bears have huge followings. There could be several factors involved in the decision. One is if a team just sucks. They are not prioritized and likely get the shaft from refs in favor of a bigger name. Or bigger story. The Kurt Warner story was the biggest to come along in decades. The Patriots and 9/11 were another. Huge TV contracts may have ushered in an era of guiding teams to the playoffs. Some years more so than others. But to justify the giant contracts TV networks could have said that they need some insurances.

Mind you, this is just a theory. Before anyone comes at me with “you have no evidence” of course I don’t. It’s all circumstantial and comes from observations. I cannot prove any of it. I’m just sharing the possible conclusions.

One other thing is why do so many NFL announcers and talk show hosts push so hard for the running QBs? It’s like a constant sell. But many serious fans don’t think as highly of running QBs and think pocket passers are a better bet for their team. Can talking heads be that dumb? Many are former players. Or do the TV networks think that the flash and excitement of a single spectacular athlete generating offense is a bigger draw and they want the NFL network especially to push the hype?

 

[dieterbrock]

Just some thoughts…

I am not of the opinion this has anything to do with full/part time status. The NFL doesn‘t play the same amount of games, these guys will always do something outside of football. Maybe there is something they can do to enhance skills, but just fulltime status doesn’t do that.

I also think we simply over analyze, and we’ve put rules in place to help with the over analyzing. Its too much… there is too much room for individual interpretation with it.

Lastly, I’m not sure I buy the ”fixing” argument… who runs that? How do you coordinate with so many? How do you not have stuff leak out with such a wide net?

Agree across the board.
The incompetence is the same its always been, its just more readily available for viewing now with all the angles, all 22, replays etc

 

[Elmgrovegnome]

I’ve brought up NASCAR in the past. At its peak NASCAR was the Dale Earnhardt and Jeff Gordon show. In a sport that is so evenly matched in technological ingenuity how could one or two drivers dominate. How could a certain team always have the best cars every week? Many fans began to question it and the attendance and viewership at races began to drop. There were many theories of how they could cheat. Eventually drivers got sick of it and started talking about suspicious instances. Suddenly the lopsided wins stopped. Jeff Gordon was just like other drivers. They wanted to give the appearance that it was cleaned up to win back fans.

As it turned out the one theory that many fans had was that pre race car inspectors purposely overlooked things like restrictor plate size. These inspectors were not allowed to speak to the media. When a few drivers spoke out about engines purchased from winning teams that won specific races not passing pre race inspections for their team it became obvious that the theory was correct.

 

[Riverumbbq]

Lastly, I’m not sure I buy the ”fixing” argument… who runs that? How do you coordinate with so many? How do you not have stuff leak out with such a wide net?

I'm not prepared to believe that this is a conspiracy operated by the referee union bosses, I also don't think 'fixing' a game has to be 'coordinated with so many'. Gambling is a huge business, once controlled primarily by various mobsters, and their tactics required little more than a threat. I'm not even saying that organized crime has to be the only villain, although history should open our eyes to it. Just 1 or 2 referees in a game day unit can change the betting outcome, and they don't have to be placing their own bets, ... family or a couple friends/acquaintances can do that. Greed permeates society, are we now expected to believe that people so close to the money are somehow immune ? Shaving a few points either way seems almost too simple a process for a referee on the take, at least the way the game is played today.
jmo.

 

[Selassie I]

I submit this ref...

 

[Mackeyser]

Just some thoughts…

I am not of the opinion this has anything to do with full/part time status. The NFL doesn‘t play the same amount of games, these guys will always do something outside of football. Maybe there is something they can do to enhance skills, but just fulltime status doesn’t do that.

I also think we simply over analyze, and we’ve put rules in place to help with the over analyzing. Its too much… there is too much room for individual interpretation with it.

Lastly, I’m not sure I buy the ”fixing” argument… who runs that? How do you coordinate with so many? How do you not have stuff leak out with such a wide net?

The NFL had cars follow the Dr who discovered CTE and there were some really shady, questionable things that happened and that was one situation. The NFL hired “security companies” and I’m surprised Dr Bennet Omalu lived to let the big NFL secret out.

Now that the NFL has caved and bought into gambling, the stakes are potentially as great as the ENTIRE VALUE OF THE NFL wagered on one game.

At that point, it’s not a question of if, but how.

Like that joke: guy goes into a bar and sits next to a lady. “Hey, would you sleep with me for a million dollars?” She thinks and says, “sure”. He sips his drink and then says, “would you sleep with me for a dollar?” She becomes incensed. “What do you think I am?” She asks loudly. He takes another sip and calmly looks at her. “We’ve already established what you are. At this point, we’re just negotiating.”

They fixed SB36 because almost EVERYONE was in a patriotic frenzy. I said in October prior to SB36 that the NFL was gonna make the Patriots win and they did. What they discovered was that they made tons more money serving the narrative than the integrity of the sport. This dovetails with the NFL arguing in court that the NFL isn’t a sport…it’s entertainment.

Why do you think the refs are held so damn sacred by the league? Even a hint of criticism draws a HEAVY fine.

And when they went on strike, as soon as the replacements started doing well, they all of a sudden brought back the regular refs. That week 3 set of games after 2 Terrible weeks of officiating was pretty good as fans and commentators alike said it was pretty good and NONE of the mistakes looked like fixing as opposed to being new to NFL reffing or simply blowing a call.

The problem for the NFL is that they haven’t caught up with the technology and act like we don’t have 4K resolution to see stuff that would have been missed in the past like consistently marking balls 1 yard off favoring one team or that POS ref hip checking a player and then calling him for a taunting foul.

Too many instances to count, but a) it doesn’t take as many people as you think and b) we’ve already had cheating baseball and basketball refs. Why is it so hard to believe that maybe the NFL has a few crews that can participate in the grift knowing that they are shielded by the NFL?

We already know the Super Bowl is fixed. The debate is how much more. I, personally, think they start looking at stories about the halfway point in the season and start doing subtle things to guide that, but if an injury or something happens, they move on to the next story. I’m convinced last year they wanted to send Drew Brees off with another ring, but he got injured badly enough that they had to move on to the next story.

I’ll stop, but I’ll answer any questions. But understand, as a former network engineer who devised workflow processes, by myself, I could devise a method for cheating as the NFL does in less than a day.

There are tough problems to solve out there… this ain’t one of ‘em.

 

[WarnerToBruce]

Now that the NFL has caved and bought into gambling, the stakes are potentially as great as the ENTIRE VALUE OF THE NFL wagered on one game.

At that point, it’s not a question of if, but how.
...
There are tough problems to solve out there… this ain’t one of ‘em.

Totally agree. I thought for sure when we actually had proof of the cheating from that Super Bowl that it would hit the fan, but when the tapes were destroyed and the videographer paid off, it all just went away. POOF.

When you have the entire offense saying the Pats defense was calling out plays they just added a few days earlier? Yeah. When Brady throws away the ball on a sack when there wasn't a receiver within 20 yards on their "winning drive"? Yeah. When their D was allowed to tackle our receivers on every play without penalty. Yeah. Then they change the rules the NEXT YEAR? LOL.

These days, I just hope we're enough of a story to get into the big dance.

 

[CGI_Ram]

The NFL had cars follow the Dr who discovered CTE and there were some really shady, questionable things that happened and that was one situation. The NFL hired “security companies” and I’m surprised Dr Bennet Omalu lived to let the big NFL secret out.

Now that the NFL has caved and bought into gambling, the stakes are potentially as great as the ENTIRE VALUE OF THE NFL wagered on one game.

At that point, it’s not a question of if, but how.

Like that joke: guy goes into a bar and sits next to a lady. “Hey, would you sleep with me for a million dollars?” She thinks and says, “sure”. He sips his drink and then says, “would you sleep with me for a dollar?” She becomes incensed. “What do you think I am?” She asks loudly. He takes another sip and calmly looks at her. “We’ve already established what you are. At this point, we’re just negotiating.”

They fixed SB36 because almost EVERYONE was in a patriotic frenzy. I said in October prior to SB36 that the NFL was gonna make the Patriots win and they did. What they discovered was that they made tons more money serving the narrative than the integrity of the sport. This dovetails with the NFL arguing in court that the NFL isn’t a sport…it’s entertainment.

Why do you think the refs are held so damn sacred by the league? Even a hint of criticism draws a HEAVY fine.

And when they went on strike, as soon as the replacements started doing well, they all of a sudden brought back the regular refs. That week 3 set of games after 2 Terrible weeks of officiating was pretty good as fans and commentators alike said it was pretty good and NONE of the mistakes looked like fixing as opposed to being new to NFL reffing or simply blowing a call.

The problem for the NFL is that they haven’t caught up with the technology and act like we don’t have 4K resolution to see stuff that would have been missed in the past like consistently marking balls 1 yard off favoring one team or that POS ref hip checking a player and then calling him for a taunting foul.

Too many instances to count, but a) it doesn’t take as many people as you think and b) we’ve already had cheating baseball and basketball refs. Why is it so hard to believe that maybe the NFL has a few crews that can participate in the grift knowing that they are shielded by the NFL?

We already know the Super Bowl is fixed. The debate is how much more. I, personally, think they start looking at stories about the halfway point in the season and start doing subtle things to guide that, but if an injury or something happens, they move on to the next story. I’m convinced last year they wanted to send Drew Brees off with another ring, but he got injured badly enough that they had to move on to the next story.

I’ll stop, but I’ll answer any questions. But understand, as a former network engineer who devised workflow processes, by myself, I could devise a method for cheating as the NFL does in less than a day.

There are tough problems to solve out there… this ain’t one of ‘em.

All good comments Mack. I don't know. Tuck rule... yeah, seemed to help them make the SB. So, I hear you. And... there are other examples that are odd optics in this debate.

9-11 and the Patriots winning sounds like a nice story... but really? Does the United States really give a shit about the word "Patriots" as a Superbowl winner following 9-11? I don't see it. Trash the integrity of your game to get the Patriots as winners? Nah, only football fans are making this connection.

And... If I thought the NFL was fixing games, I wouldn't keep watching. I would be a fool to be mislead like that. Maybe I'm a fool for believing it's not happening... but I don't.

Now... they have done some shady shit. Burning the Patriot tapes of SB36... instead of "helping the Patriots" that might have been more about integrity of the game. If whatever they had came out, it could do league damage... put an asterix next to that game, maybe others, etc.

Steering a whole league through subtle referee calls and fixes, I just don't see it.

My whole career outside of ROD is about processes and workflow... So like you, I understand that world too, and consider myself an expert at that. That is actually part of the reason I'm not buying it. It would be way too elaborate of a scheme to keep a lid on.

Now, legalizing gambling... that's an invite for wrong doing. Worth watching that.

EDIT: This day and age... everyone wants to write a book and cash in. Anyone in the know, that gets crossed, would jump at it. Retired referees too. But not a peep?